FEBRUARY 2021

COVID and the Community
BY PAUL NATINSKY
Along with the ravages of
the disease and loss of life,
COVID-19 brings with it
a host of non-physical side effects,
among them conflicting views about
the virus’s seriousness, resistance to
precautions that prevent its spreading,
and resistance to the newly available
vaccine. In some cases, the idea that
the disease is a hoax prevails. Even
among those who accept pandemic
realities, “COVID fatigue,” often sets
in—people are just worn out from
restrictive prevention measures and
social isolation and begin to drift
away from taking zealous precautions.
For the Chaldean community, the
long-term separation from friends,
family and colleagues is especially
painful and wearing. The family
oriented, closely-knit nature of the
community tempts many to violate
restrictions and rationalize away the
facts associated with COVID.
‘It’s not sinking in’
“What disturbs me the most is that
I have patients’ families that will
call me and say, ‘Please check on
my mom, the hospital is not letting
me come in.’ They’re experiencing
it even firsthand, but then they are
on social media saying it’s a hoax.
And then they bring politics into
it. It’s like it’s not sinking in, even
though it hits close to home for some
people,” said Dr. Rena Daiza, a family
medicine physician who works in
Bloomfield Township.
Dr. Ghazwan Atto has been caring
for COVID patients since the onset
of the pandemic early last spring. He
practices family medicine in a fivephysician
group in Wyandotte, where
he has lost hundreds of patients to
COVID during the past year.
For Atto, the pandemic also has
touched close to home. He lost his
aunt to the disease, as well as his
wife’s grandmother.
“To me it was probably the worst
professional experience of my career,
with the problems we had with (protective
equipment shortages) and
things like that,” he said. “The impact
of the disease on people and the
death rate I saw was unimaginable.”
One of many misnomers about
COVID is that the virus only affects
the old or those with other health
Rena Daiza, MD
problems, such as obesity or weakened
immune systems. In fact, said
Atto, COVID is also killing young
and healthy people. It is a very unpredictable
virus. Atto said he has
lost patients in their thirties who
were otherwise healthy.
There is resistance
Ghazwan Atto, MD
One of many misnomers about COVID is that the virus only affects the
old or those with other health problems, such as obesity or weakened
immune systems. In fact, COVID is also killing young and healthy
people. It is a very unpredictable virus.
to restrictions
Despite these realities, a substantial
segment of the Chaldean population
continues to skirt restrictions
on large gatherings, social distancing
and mask wearing.
After the onset of the pandemic,
“A lot of people were still congregating,”
said Daiza. “We’re a very family
oriented community, which is a
beautiful thing, but it’s harmed us a
little bit because it’s so hard to follow
rules and not gather—the holidays is
one example.
“I know a lot of people who said,
‘Look, we’re not going to keep our
kids away from their grandparents
and we’re going to get together on the
holidays. I think that caused a lot of
trouble, because it’s a beautiful thing
that our community is so family oriented,
but one of the things we need
to do fight the pandemic was to physically
distance and they didn’t adhere
to that. Similarly, masks were not embraced
as much in the community.
“On a personal note,” she added,
“I haven’t seen my grandma. I used
to see her every Sunday and I haven’t
seen her in months.”
Politics are in play
In addition to going against the grain
of Chaldean family and social norms,
some attitudes dismissive of precautions
stem from external influences.
“I’m definitely seeing it more in
the Chaldean community and I think
for them it’s because it’s become politicized,”
said Daiza. “I haven’t really
seen it much in other communities.
Definitely, a huge number of people
in the Chaldean community are not
coming to grips with the virus, with
the pandemic as a whole, and I think
it’s really harmed our community.
There was a point that probably 90
percent of our COVID beds were
Middle Eastern, either Chaldean or
Arab, but a lot of Chaldean people.”
Sometimes language is a barrier
Along with cultural and political resistance,
something as simple as not
speaking English insulates some of
Diana Zebari, RN, BSN
the population from communicating
with health care professionals or accessing
information on the virus and
how to prevent its spread.
Diana Zebari is a registered nurse
at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
Fluent in Chaldean, she is often
called upon to act as a translator for
patients or a liaison to non-English
speaking relatives.
“We will get a few Chaldean patients
or Arabic patients who can’t
speak any English,” said Zebari. “From
that perspective I think it has been
harder for them because there is no
family there that they can communicate
with or can communicate with us.
So it’s just been harder having visitors
for them along with the restrictions.”
Despite challenges maintaining
precautions and COVID’s relentless
persistence, the percentage of those
infected who die is decreasing—a
fact partly masked by the continued
high infection rate.
Better treatments are available
Atto said treatment with steroids,
antibiotics and monoclonal antibodies
(a treatment used on former President
Donald Trump) has help reduced
death rates, particularly for those with
24 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2021